MILAN — Natural-based fibers with new color processes and functionality were back in demand, said yarn makers at the Filo trade show.
The two-day fair that showcased technical yarns and fibers for spring and summer 2007 ended Nov. 4. The number of exhibitors increased to 43 from 38 during the May edition. About 2,000 people attended.
Fine, rustic yarns dominated the offerings, with an emphasis on natural fibers such as hemp, corn, silk and linen. Yarns were presented in hues of blue, silver, red and metallic gold, and were tinted with special dyeing techniques that gave shattered-surface, marbled and speckled effects.
Milan-based yarn producer Iafil increased exports of technical yarn to Japan and the U.S. this year because of a renewed demand for yarns with functional aspects, said product manager Ales Rigamonti.
“It’s important to have a unique product and then back it up with a good stock service,” said Rigamonti, who added the company had extended its stock service to 80 colors.
Clients can also be guaranteed a stock of colors they purchase for a year and minimum deliveries of 1 kilogram.
Iafil unveiled a line of Pima Peruvian cottons that were used for their flexibility to sustain different dyeing techniques. The crunchy-touch cottons in jersey had marbled color effects, while a dyed cotton was designed to fade with time and used in denim. A used look was also achieved through a linen and metal blend yarn presented in hues of gray.
Filato Maclodio pushed a selection of natural yarns, including the introduction of a biodegradable, flame-retardant corn-fiber yarn called PLA Ingeo, a cotton-hemp mix yarn, a wood-fiber called Lenpur and cashmere jersey yarn that the company developed for the Japanese market.
“Buyers want rustic and natural yarns that have freshness to them, and so there is a return to hemp mixes,” said sales manager Mauro Belussi.
Tecnofil, a company that has historically produced yarns for the home furnishings market, showcased a new man-made yarn it proposed for knitwear. The super-light yarn, made of isotactic polypropylene, weighs almost half as much as cotton and may be dyed to achieve ultrabrilliant colors. The yarn was also mixed with silk, cotton, linen and polyester to achieve different weights, fuzzy textures and an extra crisp touch.
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Another yarn producer selling well was Filcompany, which anticipates closing 2005 with a 20 percent sales rise.
“We are selling a lot, but that’s not because people are calling us,” said Simone Mugnai, Filcompany’s technical manager. “We are pushing our product.”
Mugnai said the company produced 24 new yarns, all of them lightweight with particular color and texture effects, including a gold lamé, a printed nylon and a cotton and silk blend yarn that mixes shiny and opaque fibers.
Biella, Italy-based spinner Botto Paola, also presented silk-blend yarns, including a line of fine, natural yarns that had a rustic look with a dry hand, and combined silk with wool, linen and mohair.
Rustic and fine yarns were also part of the offer from Treviso-based Ongetta. The company added linen to silk to give a soft feel to the yarn. A silver and pink lamé spun out of silk gives the yarn a cleaner, smoother look.
“Clients are asking for quality yarns again and they want reworked versions of yarns that perhaps in the past were spun more crudely,” said Ongetta president Andrea Ongetta. “That’s why we presented lamé this season.”